“There was a saying in academia when I was part of Big Science… to the effect that the only way a (scientific) paradigm changes is when the last of its influential proponents dies.

“We seem now to be in a race between the lifespans of the Old Turks (who faced with any problem can only chant Grow Baby Grow, Drill Baby Drill; who regard trees and topsoil as mere “overburden” and peasants as a nuisance to be got out of the way) and the entry into responsible positions of the up&coming Young Turks who have some clue about systems thinking, biotic reality, finite planet economics, the importance of food and water.

“This young man should be in a position of leadership. However, in terms of the present paradigm he just “disqualified” himself by his public disloyalty to BAU, much as he could have disqualified himself among Serious People a generation ago by marrying a person of the wrong race. “Tree Hugger” is todays “N*gg*r Lover”, no?

“My hat’s off to him. It took guts, conviction, *and* compassion to deliver that speech. Plenty of activists have guts, conviction, and anger; but the compassion is a huge element of the transition we desperately need. This young man, young as he is, would make a better head of state than Harper: he’s more of a grownup.” Rootless Agrarian